Observations from an election canvasser

Nov. 17, 2012

After knocking for weeks on well over 1,000 doors this election cycle, I'd like to take the liberty of sharing what I saw across Fort Collins’ four quadrants. The following fun observations from the thousand door visits isn't empirical evidence but I feel is still quite compelling.

Background: 90 percent-plus homes for which I visited were at homes of unaffiliated voters. The rest were Republicans and Democrats who were knocked off the rolls because they did not vote in 2010 and needed contacting.

Homes having nice doorbells had very nice front doors. Impressive. Homes west of College Avenue having less well-maintained yards and structures were registered Democrats. Registered Republicans generally had bright, fresh properties. As my visiting skills improved, I discovered three undercurrent concerns: Issues for so many were race (Obama), religion (Mormon), and sex (Ginal and Polis). Anger and fear were the frequently dominant emotions, less were emotions about the economy, immigration and foreign relations.

The most fun experiences were at the doors of the unaffiliated voters, i.e., when someone answered the doorbell. I repeatedly received two distinctly different views. Those who seemed to lean left tended to be open, trusting with a handshake. Those independent voters who tended to lean right seemed more closed, suspicious and took a while to gain trust. What to make of this? I don't know, but it was a fun 1,000 knocks. I loved the experience and would do it all again.